We all know the old adage. A summer tentpole is only as good as the villain pulling the strings, and in
Brian Cox - both the X-Men and Bourne franchises have enjoyed their best entries (and individual scenes) with the veteran actor hamming up a bad guy. His William Stryker made X2, and I still remember fondly the intensity of his showdown with Jason Bourne at the climax of
The Bourne Ultimatum. So when Cox joins
Rise of the Apes (Fox, June 2011),
the kind of reboot/kind of prequel to Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes remake, well, we suddenly sit-up and become more hopeful. Though in truth, with every new casting we keep saying this - we are digging the talent in this right now.
The Wrap says Cox will play the main villain - the evil owner of a primate sanctuary who runs the facility without compassion for the animals that live there. Basically, he hates those damn dirty apes! Cox reunites with director
Rupert Wyatt - with whom they worked together on prison escape thriller
The Escapist, Wyatt's only previous movie.
James Franco leads as the scientist responsible for the ape uprising and who initially takes Caesar home to protect him for his rival doctors. Francos desperate desire to cure Alzheimers is in order to end his fathers suffering from the diseaase (
John Lithgow). WETA vet
Andy Serkis reunites with the company that transformed him into Gollum and King Kong and will motion-cap Caesar, marking a shift in the series as it moves into CGI rather than man in suit apes.
Freida Pinto, whose career is blossoming post-Slumdog Millionaire (she was a focal point in Woody Allens You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, and has worked with Julian Schnabel and Tarsem Singh since) is also on board as a primatologist. An offer has been put to
Don Cheadle to join in an unknown role. Shooting begins in Canada this month. Written by
Rick Jaffa &
Amanda Silver (
The Relic), Apes is due in theaters in June 2011.